2014 RTP

2014 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP)

As the transportation planning agency for Santa Cruz County, the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) is responsible for developing, implementing, and regularly updating the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) for Santa Cruz County. The RTP includes goals, targets and policies (Policy Element) that are used to prioritize projects for funding; identifies the area’s transportation needs (Action Element); and estimates the amount of state, federal, and local funds that may be available (Financial Element). Certain transportation funds require the project/program to be included in the most current RTP. The Santa Cruz County RTP is also incorporated into the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments’ (AMBAG) tri-county Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS) that covers the counties of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito.

2014 RTP and EIR

The RTC adopted the 2014 Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Plan and the corresponding environmental documents at a public hearing on June 26, 2014. The 2014 RTP incorporates a performance-based planning approach based on the Sustainable Transportation Analysis and Rating System (STARS). Projects identified in the 2014 RTP include maintenance of and improvements to local roadways, highways, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, transit service, rail, specialized transportation for seniors and people with disabilities, and transportation demand management programs. Projects were selected using measurable targets that support sustainability goals including access, greenhouse gas emission reduction, economic vitality, health, safety, travel time reliability, equity, and maintenance of the existing transportation network.

Adoption of the 2014 RTP concludes two years of extensive outreach in developing a vision for transportation in Santa Cruz County through 2035. This effort included hearings, workshops, surveys, web pages, presentations and eNews throughout the development of the 2014 RTP, including defining the goals, policies and targets; estimating the funding plan; identifying the transportation needs and prioritizing projects; and drafting the plan document.

The environmental review of the 2014 Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Plan is combined with the environmental review of the 2035 Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS) and the RTPs of Monterey and San Benito Counties in the 2035 MTP/SCS EIR. This programmatic region-wide environmental assessment evaluates the potential environmental effects of implementing the plans, including alternative transportation investment scenarios, and identifies potential mitigation measures. AMBAG, as the lead agency, certified the EIR at their June 11, 2014 meeting. The RTC adopted the CEQA Findings of Fact, Statement of Overriding Considerations and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program related to the Certified EIR at the June 26th, 2014 public hearing.